The present invention relates to a passenger protecting apparatus for protecting passengers in a vehicle in case of collision or the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a passenger protecting apparatus having an air belt that is inflated by gas.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an air belt device of this type in the related art will be described. The air belt device 1 comprises a shoulder belt retractor 3 provided in the lower part of the center pillar 2, a lap belt refractor 4 located below the shoulder belt retractor 3, a shoulder belt 6 pulled out from the shoulder belt retractor 3 and extending via a slip guide 5 provided on the upper part of the center pillar 2, a lap belt 7 pulled out from the lap belt retractor 4, a tongue device 8 fixed at the ends of the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7, a buckle device 9 fixed to the seat base 10 formed of a seat frame or a slide rail for receiving said tongue device 8, and an air belt inflator 11 formed integrally with the buckle device 9.
The shoulder belt retractor 3 and the lap belt retractor 4 unwind and retract the shoulder belt 6 and the lap belt 7 respectively, and are constructed in such a manner that the belts 6 and 7 are able to be unwound so that the passenger is able to move freely in the normal state, and the belts 6 and 7 are locked so as not to be unwound to restrain the passenger in case of collision of the vehicle. The air belt inflator 11 ignites in response to the ignition command supplied by the ignition control unit 7 and generates high pressure gas.
The lap belt 7 is formed of a conventional plain weave belt of synthetic fiber. The portion of the shoulder belt 6 that comes in contact with the breast of the passenger comprises an inflatable bag and a cover covering the outside thereof. The cover stretches easily in the radial direction but not along the length thereof. The bag and the cover are formed in a flat belt in the normal state, and when high pressure gas is supplied to the bag from the air belt inflator 11, the bag is inflated to the state shown by a dotted line and restrains the passenger softly.
The air belt inflator 11 is fixed in the lower portion of the buckle housing 14 that constitutes the body of the buckle device 9. An anchor member 17 that is fixed to the buckle housing 14 at an upper end thereof. The anchor member 17 is supported on the seat base 10 via a pivot pin 18 so as to swing back and forth toward the front and read of the vehicle.
The catching hole (not shown) opening on the upper wall of the buckle housing 14 and the air belt inflator 11 are in communication with respect to each other via a gas passage formed within the buckle housing 14. When the tongue of the tongue device 8 is inserted into the buckle housing 14 to connect the tongue device 8 and the buckle device 9, the catching hole formed on the upper wall of the buckle housing 14 is brought into communication with the gas receiving portion on the front end of the tongue device 8. The gas receiving portion is in communication with the inside of the bag.
A release button 19 for separating the tongue device 8 from the buckle device 9 is provided on the buckle housing 14.
When the automotive vehicle equipped with the passenger protecting apparatus collides with an object or rolls over beyond a prescribed amount, the air belt inflator 11 generates gas, which is supplied into the inflatable bag in the shoulder belt 6 through the buckle device 9 and the tongue device 8 to inflate the bag. Thus, the portion of the shoulder belt 6 laid over the upper half of the passenger""s body is inflated. Consequently, the impact applied to the passenger is absorbed.
In the buckle device 9 of the conventional passenger protecting apparatus described above, the anchor member 17 is mounted to the seat base 10 by the pivot pin 18 so as to swing back and forth. When the passenger""s body moves backward and forward on the seat the buckle device 9 rotates accordingly, thereby alleviating the passenger""s feeling of being pressurized by the shoulder belt 6.
From a study of various aspects of the technology, it has been determined that allowing the buckle device to rotate in the direction of the width of the vehicle body (i.e. toward the sides of the vehicle) further reduces the passenger""s feeling of being pressurized by the shoulder belt.
The passenger protecting apparatus of the present invention comprises an air belt to be inflated by an injection of gas, a tongue provided at one end of said air belt, a buckle for receiving said tongue, and an anchor member including an upper portion to which said buckle is attached and a lower portion to be connected to the vehicle body, wherein said anchor member includes a rotating portion for rotating said buckle in the direction of the width of the vehicle body. The passenger protecting apparatus of the present invention may comprise means for urging said buckle to the upright position.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.